The Last Refuge

TWENTY-ONE

‘What’s two-penny worth of yeast, anyway? A teaspoon? A cup? Then it says to beat for three-quarters of an hour. No wonder they needed slaves.’

French Fry, housemaid

Two nights later, with the table set, candles lit and the food laid out for dinner, Jack summoned the family and all the staff to the dining room.

With a face like Mount Rushmore, he cleared his throat several times, then said, ‘I have an announcement to make. Founding Father has just notified me that according to the medical examiner, our dear friend, Alex Mueller, died of a broken neck as the result of a fall. His death has been ruled accidental. Let us pray.’

Almost without taking a breath, Jack launched into a rambling grace that touched on food, death, the souls of men (and women) and the downtrodden people of the third world. While the food on the platters cooled, and Jack showed no sign of winding down, I dared to raise my head and look at Amy. She stood by the buffet, hands folded in front of her – even in the candlelight I could see that her knuckles were white. Her mouth was a thin line, and she was shaking her head and mouthing, ‘No, no, no, no.’

Late that night, Amy came to me in my chamber. ‘Would you like me to brush your hair?’

‘Oh, yes.’ I threw back the covers, slid out of bed and sat in the chair in front of the vanity table. ‘I’d give anything for some Pantene,’ I mused as she came up behind me and started brushing the tangles out of my hair. ‘One of those itty-bitty bottles of shampoo you get in hotels. Is that too much to ask?’

‘You and me both. From the Waldorf-Astoria or Holiday Inn, wouldn’t matter. My hair is so stiff from that bar soap we made that it looks like I’m wearing a helmet. Karen says I should try rinsing it with vinegar.’

‘Phew!’ I said.

Amy brushed in silence for a while. ‘Your husband works at the Naval Academy, right?’

‘Uh huh.’ I was enjoying the gentle massage of the bristles against my scalp.

‘Drew murdered Alex, I know he did.’

‘The medical examiner determined that it was an accident, Amy.’

‘I don’t believe that any more than you do, Hannah.’

‘You’re right, I don’t. I think it’s possible that Alex broke his neck in a fall, but not very probable.’ I twisted around in my chair. ‘What is Drew’s motive, Amy?’ When I saw the expression on Amy’s face, I froze. ‘Did he know about you and Alex?’

Amy blushed. ‘Alex has been visiting my room at night. If Drew has been watching the house…’ Her voice trailed off.

‘That sounds like motive to me.’

‘So, how can we prove it?’

‘That’s the hard part,’ I said. ‘Drew is a phantom. And, according to the government, which we all know is infallible, Drew Cornell doesn’t even exist.’

The brush stopped. ‘Do you think I’m in danger?’

‘No, I don’t. Drew needs you to collect the insurance money for him. He believes you’ll join him after that happens, no matter what. You are essential to his plan.’ I waved a hand. ‘Brush!’

‘One thing I wonder about,’ I said after a bit. ‘Why didn’t Drew contact you sooner? Even third world countries have cell phones and Internet cafes.’

‘I had my cell number changed after the break-in. My email account was hacked, and my Facebook page was hijacked so badly that I couldn’t even log on. I had to set up new ones.’ The brush stopped. ‘Then I came here, so it took Drew a while to track me down. Otherwise?’ In the mirror, I saw her shrug. ‘Maybe he was afraid my phone would be tapped. Maybe he thought I was being watched and I wouldn’t act like a proper widow if I knew he was actually alive?’

‘You asked me about Paul. How can he help?’

‘He has friends in high places?’

I laughed. ‘High military places? I suppose he does. Midshipmen who Paul used to teach are now captains, and I think there’s even one vice admiral among his former students.’ My eyes locked on to hers in the reflection in the mirror. ‘I could tell Paul that Drew is alive, sure, and he could pass that information on to the Navy brass, but that wouldn’t prove anything.’

‘I don’t care. We can’t let him get away with it. I know he murdered Alex just as sure as I’m standing here brushing your hair.’

‘But you aren’t brushing,’ I reminded her gently.

‘Right.’ She began again, slowly, rhythmically. ‘I wasn’t in love with Alex,’ she reflected, ‘but he was in love with me. I told him how I felt, and he was OK with it, really. I think he thought I’d come around eventually, and he may have been right. But it was just too soon after Drew to get into another serious relationship, you know?’

‘I know. If something happened to Paul… Gosh, breaking in one husband is hard enough. I don’t understand how women like Elizabeth Taylor and Zsa-Zsa Gabor managed it. After they talk me off the railing of the high span of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, I’d probably just sell up and move to a cottage in the south of France.’

‘No you wouldn’t, Hannah.’

‘No?’

‘Your daughter? The grandchildren? How about them?’

‘You have a point.’ I laughed. ‘Look, I have an idea. What we need is to snatch off his cloak of invisibility, draw Drew out. What would make him show himself?’

‘Jealousy. If Drew killed Alex, it was because he was jealous.’

‘We have to assume that Drew is still watching us,’ I said.

‘That gives me the heebie jeebies, Hannah.’

‘I’m not comfortable with it either. So, under that assumption, let’s make him jealous. Get somebody to come on to you.’

‘But that could be dangerous, especially for the object of my so-called affection.’

‘That’s where the people Paul knows might come in handy.’ I thought for a moment while Amy brushed. ‘If Drew is watching you, I’ll bet he’ll turn up at the State House ball. It’s the next time that we’ll all be outside Patriot House and it’ll be a mob scene. He could easily sneak in, just like he did at the burning of the Peggy Stewart, if we assume, like I do, that the so-called reporter Alex was talking to was actually Drew.’

‘We’ll need help, Hannah. I’m certainly not going to flirt with you!’ She laughed, genuinely amused. ‘That would push Drew over the edge for sure! SEAL’s wife throws him over for another woman.’

‘It probably wouldn’t be the first time,’ I observed ruefully. ‘OK, it’s decided. In the meantime, then, it’s business as usual. Let me get a note out to Paul. I’ll try to talk to him. See what he can do.’

‘A note to Paul? How will you arrange that?’

I put a finger to my lips. ‘Need to know, Amy. Need to know.’